What is the difference between "messy" and "disorganized"?

One of the first things to consider when thinking about hiring a professional organizer is why you believe you need help. Oftentimes a professional organizer is called into a home or office only to discover that the client doesn’t really need that kind of help, they just need a good cleaner.  Yes, a home may be a huge mess and although the two problems often go hand in hand, simply being untidy is a separate issue.

And messy or untidy, which are arguably acceptable ways to keep a home or room, can quickly lead to dirty or unsanitary, which are not.

Having an organized space is not about how something looks, it's about how it functions!

For example, at the start of the day in a restaurant kitchen the counter-tops are clear and clean. However before the day is even halfway through the kitchen is sure to look like a disaster; yet it’s still functional. The chef will know exactly what he needs; he’ll know exactly where everything is and woe betide the well-meaning assistant who moves something just as the chef is reaching for it.

Then, at the end of the day, the kitchen workers get organized. Ingredients are put back in the larder or fridge; the dishwasher is loaded, they wash, dry and put away those things that need to be done by hand and the counter tops-are cleaned and sanitized.

So even though it was a mess the kitchen was still functional.

Disorganized would be not being able to cook a meal in a healthy or safe way because the counters were so cluttered or dirty it was impossible. Disorganized is having things that you need rendered inaccessible because of where and how they have been stored. Disorganized is having to adapt a simple process to an unreasonable point to suit the physical limitations of the situation.

Clear the clutter, organize what's left.

Those six words...clear the clutter, organize what's left...simple, uncomplicated, easy to understand are what New England Organizing strives to empower our clients to do.

We often find that after an initial consultation where basic steps and techniques have been laid out for them, many of our clients do not need a professional organizer every step of the way to accomplish this. While it's nice to have company and a helping hand, we find that many people are more than capable of clearing their own clutter and once it has gone they are able to organize themselves quite effectively.

However, in some cases the shear volume of possessions, a looming deadline or a client simply  not wanting to do it alone make hiring a professional organizer the sensible thing to do.